Focas-Cosmetatos Foundation - Exhibitions & Events

The orchid family is one of the largest and most varied of plant families. Cephalonia Botanica is a natural habitat for the orchids family. It is interesting to note that in the restricted area of the amphitheatre where the exhibition is located, we meet six different types of orchids.

Exhibitions
The Foundation's downtown headquarters and Cephalonia Botanica host both permanent and periodic exhibitions. The exhibitions, which attract an important number of visitors, constitute another form of communication between the Foundation and the general public, projecting the heritage of Cephalonia among visitors as well as the local inhabitants.

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS

The downtown building hosts the permanent exhibition
The Story of Money.

The exhibition is highlighted by rare examples of coins and banknotes from the Foundation’s numismatic collection: means of exchange used in the Ionian Islands throughout their long history.

In the outdoor area of the building, the visitor will also find the exhibition
The Earthquakes of 1953.

This is a chronicle of the devastation of the island, with photographs of streets and buildings, mainly from the town of Argostoli, before and after the earthquakes of 1953. A short documentary video accompanies this exhibition.

In Cephalonia Botanica the visitor will find the permanent exhibitions
The Study of Plantsand Herbs and their Uses.

A Brief History and Herbs and their Uses.
The exhibitions include a brief history of the study of plants, and concentrate on herbs and their various uses in medicine, cooking and cosmetology. They were inaugurated in July 2007, during the official opening of Cephalonia Botanica; an event placed under the auspices of His Excellency the President of the Republic Mr Karolos Papoulias, and attended by many dignitaries and invited guests.

PERIODIC EXHIBITIONS

Architectural Elements of Pre-Earthquake Cephalonia
A presentation of the specific features of traditional Cephalonian architecture, through architectural drawings of structural and decorative elements and old photographs of buildings that no longer exist. The exhibition was held from 2007 to 2010.

The design of the film "Captain Corelli’s Mandolin"
The exhibition, held from 2001 to 2003, included numerous original sketches, storyboards and mock-ups of the sets, designed by Jim Clay for the film and kindly loaned to the Foundation for the purposes of the exhibition. Many photographs illustrating the construction of the sets and the process of actual filming complemented the exhibition, which drew record numbers of visitors.

Argostoli: the Old City and its Town Plan
The exhibition was held from 1998 to 1999. It was a nostalgic trip in the past of a town that no longer exists.

Sculptures in the Garden
The exhibition of sculptures by 21 eminent Greek artists – a deliberate linking of nature with art – ran throughout the month of August 2010 and attracted a vast number of visitors.

CONCERTS

Orchestra of Colours
On 25 August 2008, the open-air Theatre in Cephalonia Botanica, filled to overflowing with an enthusiastic audience, hosted a concert given by the Orchestra of Colours. The concert was dedicated to the work of its founder, composer Manos Hadjidakis, and was led by Miltos Logiades. This magical evening inaugurated the venue of the Theatre and projected the strong link between nature and art that Cephalonia Botanica’s events seek to establish.
The concerts of the Orchestra of Colours continued in the years 2009 and 2010 with great success.

“Astor Piazzolla for 12”
Twelve eminent soloists met for the first time in a captivating recital of Astor Piazzolla’s nuevo tango in the summer of 2012.

Summergreen Music 2013
In collaboration with The G&M Vergottis Foundation
Three evening concerts by seven young musicians from the Jigsaw Players

15 July - at the open-air theatre of Cephalonia Botanica with its perfect natural acoustics, a programme of music by Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
17 July - the concert transferred to the Kourkoumelata Cultural Centre for an evening of Bach, Vivaldi and Dvorak. 19 July - a surprise. The music returned to Cephalonia Botanica, but this time next to its lake, at the very core of its
natural environment. An evening for a lucky few, with works by Debussy, Haydn and Mozart.

ΕVENTS

Garden Tastes and Flavours
Another successful event was held on the grounds of Cephalonia Botanica on 4 August 2017, when over 200 people participated in a fund-raising dinner of inventive cooking based on the herbs of the Ionian flora. The tastes and flavours were created by award-winning chef Christos Mahairas.
The wines which accompanied and enhanced the dishes were selected from among the best wineries of the island and presented by Yannis Karakassis, MW (Master of Wine).

Sponsors:
garden_taste_sponsors

The art of sculpture, of wine, of music
Cephalonia Botanica hosted an evening dedicated, as always, to human creativity. Within the unique environment of the Botanic Garden, we inaugurated a new exhibition of sculptures placed at every turning. Our guests were given a tutored wine tasting of all of Cephalonia’s fine wines by the vintners themselves. They enjoyed the improvisations on well-loved tunes of a group of young musicians. It was an evening of celebration which lasted well into the night. 3 August 2014

Annual Meeting of the Network of Greek Botanic Gardens
The Focas-Cosmetatos Foundation hosted the 5th Meeting of the Network, dedicated to “Proposals for the Improvement of Access to Botanic Gardens”. The full three-day programme was rich in content, with visits and tours and formal and informal discussions. 3, 4 and 5 October 2014

Presentation of the book Ionian Flora – Plants from the collection of Cephalonia Botanica. On the grounds of Cephalonia Botanica itself. The captivating speakers were Pavlos Samios, Painter and Professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and Cecile Inglessis Margellos, literary translator, critic and writer. In tandem, Samios presented to the large audience, for that evening only, a private viewing of his work inspired by the Ionian flora. 28 July 2012

Presentation of the book Ionian Flora – Plants from the collection of Cephalonia Botanica, at Megaron Hypatia in Athens. The sparkling speaker Professor Stefanos Geroulanos, the large lively audience of Foundation friends, and the gracious hospitality of the hosts Chrisanthi Konstadakatou-Routzounis and Dinos Routzounis, made for a brilliant evening. 7 December 2011

Pioneer Winemakers. An event dedicated to the art of wine. Participants and sponsors were six masters of the art of winemaking, in the vanguard of the Greek wine revolution of the ’80s, Vangelis Gerovassiliou/Domaine Gerovasiliou, Vasilis Kanellakopoulos/Mercouri Estate, Yiannis Boutaris/Kir-Yianni Estate, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos/Gaia Wines, George Skouras/Domaine Skouras, Marianna Cosmetatos and Petros Markantonatos/Gentilini Winery. The wine tasting was conducted by Ted Lelekas, wine journalist. A sit-down dinner to accompany the wines crowned this spectacular evening. 23 July 2011

Ionian Connections. This annual event, organised by the Focas-Cosmetatos Foundation, was held for four consecutive years (2008-2011), and focused on the Ionian Islands as a distinct historical and cultural entity.

Official opening and presentation of Cephalonia Botanica activities to the general public. An event placed under the auspices of H.E. The President of the Republic Mr Karolos Papoulias. 28 July 2007

Queen Berenice: Presentation of the prize-winning book by its author Ms. Ioanna Phoca, as part of the inauguration of the premises of the Educational Department. Argostoli 31 March 2002.